Antiqua, the Goddess of Lost Vintage Items

I have been a terrible bloggerette this past week.  I just realized that my entire "vacation" has slipped away without a single post all week long. 

"Vacation" is in quotes because it hasn't exactly been a week of lounging on a sofa and eating bon-bons.  I've been sticking with my goal of getting all my antiques organized and my house back into company-ready shape.  And so for seven days straight I have been cleaning (& organizing) cleaning (& organizing) like a good little Suzy Homemaker!

While going through all of my vintage/antique things, I had some items in mind that had gone missing at some point and I was hopeful that I would find them in one of the boxes or piles.

When I was a little girl, whenever one of us lost something my mother would say, "Let's say a prayer to St. Anthony." 

If you grew up Catholic, you probably remember that St. Anthony of Padua is known as the Patron Saint of Lost Articles.  He was pretty good at finding things for me most of time.  But I have lost so many things lately, I decided I'd better summon assistance from another source...

Have you heard of Antiqua? 

She is the Goddess of Lost Vintage Items.
You don't believe me?  Well, just look at what she found this week...

For the longest time, I've been missing a pretty little gray button from this vintage 1940's wool jacket, but I discovered it earlier this week buried in a drawer full of coins.  I was so happy, I sewed it back on right away...

This jacket is one of my favorites because it has a label from a popular downtown St. Paul, Minn. department store that dates back to the 1920's...

Antiqua also helped me find Charmin' Chatty's shoe under my bedroom radiator...

It was missing from this 1963 Whitman puzzle...

Any other Charmin' Chatty or Chatty Cathy fans out there?  I always liked Charmin' Chatty best because me and Charmin' both had to wear nerdy glasses at a young age.

Antiqua came to my rescue again when she helped me find this Hood's Sarsaparilla 1889 Calendar top that disappeared shortly after I bought it on eBay earlier this summer...

She led me right to the Sear's catalog where it had been absent mindedly tucked inside.

Did you know that Hood's Sarsaparilla not only purifies the blood and helps invigorate the liver...but it also cures Scrofula, Rheumatism, Billiousness, Dyspepsia and just about any other disease that you can think of!

You don't believe these claims?  Oh, yea of little faith...

Let me share one final bit of evidence of the goddess Antiqua's powers.  Not only does she help find lost vintage items, but she is also a good luck charm at estate sales too!

On Friday I spotted this lovely antique ledger book at an estate/moving sale in my neighborhood. 

Now I love beautiful old books almost as much as I love beautful vintage clothing - but I'm also very frugal. And I just couldn't bring myself to pay $10.00 for the book. 

Since everything was going to be 50% off today, the second day, I decided to take my chances and plan to be one of the first in the door this morning when the sale opened and quickly grab it - if it hadn't already sold.

Oh, I didn't tell you the best part of the book.  Mr. Chas. D. Freeman was apparently a pharmacist (or doctor?) or was studying to be one - and the first 43 pages are filled with his handwritten notes. 

Here are a couple of "recipes" for Liquid Soap and Boeckmann's Eye Water...

...and here are his notes on Floating Bodies in the eye.

Last night I kept thinking about the book.  How foolish of me to easily spend $10 for a couple of drinks at a bar, yet pass up the opportunity to buy this ledger book which has historical value!

Well, I'll bet you've already figured out that this story has a happy ending.  This morning when I arrived at the sale, the book was still there waiting for me in the very same spot on the bedroom floor where I had found it the day before.  And I got it for $5.00!

Hail to Antiqua! 

She's a great gal to have on your side. 

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Happy Saturday morning to you!  It's 6:00 a.m. and I am already on my second latte, hoping to get a little life going in these tired bones.

I need to put on a Shirley Temple smile and positive attitude - because I've got a big day ahead of me.

photo courtesy of The Official Shirley Temple Website

 

"On the Good Ship Lollipop" was the trademark song of child actress, Shirley Temple. Here she is, singing it for the first time in the 1934 movie "Bright Eyes."  Contrary to popular belief, the ship in the song is an aircraft.
In the song, the "Good Ship Lollipop" travels to a candy land. 

Today is Homecoming and Reunion Weekend at the college where I work.  I'll be helping out with some of the booths/events on campus.  No, I won't have to do a song-and-dance routine - but it sure will help if I'm light on my feet!  I'll need to fly to get everything done in time... 

Our college's heritage society (for donors of estate gifts) is sponsoring an "Antiques Roadshow" type event for our alumni.  Doesn't that sound fun?  It's the first year of this event, and I've been asked to bring tons of things in to display around the room - to give it a warm, antiquey feel.  

I expect to be on the go until about 6 pm tonight - but then after that I'm on vacation for a whole week! 

And guess what I'll be doing on my vacation?  Remember my goal of restoring Beauty and Order to my home? Well, this will be my week to get it done!  It feels a little overwhelming to me because I have so much that I'd like to accomplish.

But I think I can do it.   No...I know I can do it.  But encouragement from you, my dear blogging friends, will help too!

I ran across this charming film of the "The Little Engine that Could" from 1963. Maybe it's so charming to me because I have a foggy memory of watching this when I was about 5 or 6 (on TV? in kindergarten class?).   

It seems like the perfect inspiration for this coming week.  Wanna watch it with me?
(The first little bit of the film is a little shaky, but it's fine after that.)

Video courtesy of YouTube's WhosBobThomas


Oh my, and now it's 6:20.  I'd better get moving! I'm excited to share with my colleagues some of the fun old things that I'm bringing to our campus antiques show.

I would share them with you too, but I haven't taken any pictures of them...yet.   But I do have lots of other vintage things that I've collected and photographed over the years that I can show you.  Here are just a few. 

Because time is running short (!) this will be a purely visual and very random display.  Hope you enjoy...

Okay, enough of this nonsense...I had better get to work!!
Have a wonderful day! 

A Salute to Red, White and Blue: Vicky, Dorothy and Me

On Friday, I shared some scenes from the 1948 film, "The Red Shoes" - and told you that it was my new favorite film. 

Well, maybe I spoke a bit too hastily during a moment of enthusiasm.  The "Wizard of Oz" has been #1 on my vintage film list for years, and I guess I'm not quite ready to boot it out of that position.

So for now, Vicky Page from the "The Red Shoes"...and Dorothy Gale from "The Wizard of Oz"...

...will have to share my top spot.

Did you notice that the women in my two favorite films have something in common? 

Their signature dresses...

...are White and Blue!

Plus, they both have blue bows in their hair...

and of course - RED Shoes!

I think both would be great costumes for Halloween.  Of course, the Wizard of Oz's Dorothy dress is already a standard.  But a Vicky Page costume could be really wonderful, especially if you replicate the dramatic ballet makeup used in the film...and smear the white tights with a bit of blood....

But I'm cheap.  So I really don't want to spend a lot of money on a costume store ballerina dress or a blue-and-white checked Dorothy dress - and I'm not talented enough to be able to sew them.

But...

I am savvy enough
to find great deals
at estate sales!


So, for just a
few dollars
I managed
to find
my own
red, white and blue
combo.

                                                                          

                  This is a vintage American Red Cross Volunteer dress.  Do you think that it suits me?

Yeah, I know - these aren't exactly ruby slippers, but they'll do.

Aren't these patches fun?  American Red Cross & local Ramsey County (St. Paul) patches on one sleeve...and Minnesota's Centennial 1858-1958 patch on the other.

 

So this dress was probably worn shortly after Minnesota's 1958 centennial...

Instead of a Blue Ribbon in my hair, I've got the little Blue Hat that came with the dress. 

I love it - it's got that vintage airline stewardess look.

So, now all I need to complete the Halloween costume is a First Aid Kit that can double as my purse.  I found this vintage kit in Good Buy Annie's Etsy shop that would have been perfect. But unfortunately it's been snatched up already.

I may have to resort to using my daughter's old Fisher Price medical bag.  It's a little silly, but that might add to the fun.

I'll also need some great makeup...  Maybe I could attempt to do up my eyes like Vicky Page's?

And last but not least...

I think it would make perfect sense for a Red Cross Volunteer to be a vampiress in disguise. 

So I might want to invest in some sexy fangs.

Oh, I forgot.  One small problem...

I haven't yet been invited to a Halloween Party.  Better work on that!